A sleeping child laid on a bed covered by plain, white sheets. He looked really handsome, with long, straight black hair, a small, pointy nose and a small mouth. The boy was sweating profusely, as if he was having nightmares.

A girl was kneeling beside the bed: she had red skin, beautiful crimson hair and scarlet eyes filled with concern. Hidden behind that concern tough, was great pain, grief and... coldness. It was as if her heart had been frozen and was encased in ice.

"Aaaah!" The boy suddenly jerked awake. He panted for a bit before calming down, he brought one of his hands to his face as if to assure himself that it was still there.

The girl's eyes lit up and she immediately grabbed his other hand "Are you alright? What happened, why were you scared?" The boy was about to retract his hand when he saw the girl's expression. The boy could see that behind the mask of concern, her eyes were filled with sadness and what looked like grief.

The boy tilted his head "Why are you so sad, miss?" He asked.

The woman flinched and then her face darkened. The girl shook her head "It is nothing, you don't need to worry about it. It will pass soon..." although she said that, it could be seen from her expression that something important was indeed bothering her.

The boy pondered for a while then his eyes lit up "If you smile happily while you are sad, you will get better!" he grinned himself "Try it, miss!"

The girl gaped for a while but then smiled bitterly.

"Like... this?" She asked as her fake smile trembled.

The boy examined her face and frowned, then he shook his head. He turned, giving his back to the girl. She tilted her head in confusion and, just when she was about to call out to him, the boy turned.

"Booo!" His eyes were crossed as he looked down at his nose, his tongue sticked out of his mouth and he was pinching his cheeks, resembling a meat bun.

Overall, his appearance was pretty funny and, the girl, took by surprise, stared in disbelief before bursting out with laughter.

"Pffff... Ahahah!" She kept laughing for a full minute while the boy looked at her, mesmerized.

"Not fair, you took me by surprise!" She pouted when she finally managed to calm down.

The boy didn't respond and suddenly seemed to snap awake from a dream. He then sighed and spoke "Wow, miss, you are so beautiful when you laugh!"

The girl blushed and she felt something that she had not felt for a long time: happiness and peacefulness. Her trembling heart, troubled by the death of her mother seemed to have calmed down, as if someone had cuddled it and sent it to sleep.

She stared at the boy gaping and then smiled warmly as she asked "Child... Do you remember anything? Like, where are you from or what is your name?"

The boy opened his mouth as if he was about to speak, then his previous cheerful attitude changed as confusion took its place. He opened and closed his mouth numerous times, but no sound came out.

He looked down at his hands and he could see that they were trembling "Nothing... There's... Nothing..."

He looked up to the girl, his eyes growing red and tears welling up. Suddenly, his eyes began glowing golden from their previous blue hue "Miss, I'm scared! The darkness! Everything is dark!" He grabbed his head and then began to yell as two golden beams came out of his eyes "Aaah! No! The void, it is coming! The Mountain! The Mountain! It is cracking! It is going to crumble!"

The boy trembled as what seemed to be a golden mist seeped out from his gaping mouth and then dissolved into the air.

The girl was shocked by what happened and was cursing herself in her mind for asking that question "Child, calm down..." she caressed the child's head and then hugged him tight.

"You have nothing to fear: be it that darkness or that mountain you spoke about, you just know that you are safe here. No harm will come to you as long as I am here!" She smiled at him.

The child sniffed and his eyes turned back to blue, as if what had just happened was nothing more than an illusion. He then looked up, his pair of deep blue eyes seemed to hold the night sky within.

"Promise?"

The girl nodded grinning "Promise! Why would this miss lie to you? Listen to your own advice, smile and you will get better!"

The boy trembled once more and then he also smiled weakly as he relaxed.

The woman nodded satisfied and then she spoke "I am Ren Hong! Ren as in 'Person' and Hong as in 'Red'!" She pointed at her skin "As you can see, this is just right for me! I'm, after all, just a an ugly, red and old lady!"

The boy wiped away his tears and then nodded "That is right, you really are a red person! So funny! Ahahah!" He chuckled and then his eyes came to rest on her face.

"You are so beautiful though! You must be the most beautiful person under heaven! And you are no old lady!" He pouted "Why do you call yourself Ugly? Are you lying? Are you perhaps a bad person?" He crossed his arms.

The girl smiled bitterly "Thank you child, but I am way older than you could possibly imagine... Also, I do not dare compare myself with the most beautiful ladies of heaven..."

The child pouted. The girl's eyes suddenly lit up "Well, since you don't have anywhere to go and have no memories, how about you stay here?" She suggested.

The child hesitated and then asked "Will I be able to call you big sister then?"

Ren Hong gaped and then nodded enthusiastically "Of course! I'll call you little brother then!" She grinned "From now on, we are brother and sister!"

The child's eyes widened and then brightened "A Sister... Brother... A Family..." he muttered "I've never had a family... I... Have always been alone... Blank... Empty... As 'she' said, Blank just like my-" his eyes lit up suddenly "S-Sis!"

"Yes? What is it?" She asked.

The boy smiled excitedly "I rem-"

Suddenly, the door of the small hut opened, blocking the boy's words in his throat. A tall and burly man walked in: he had dark skin, a fiery white beard and white hair tied into a long braid. He wore what looked like a scaly armor and a snake coiled around his shoulders.

He had a fierce expression and his big frame gave off the first impression of a very frightening person.

Ren Hong's flinched for a bit but then she spoke "Big Brother Hei. He woke up. It's just... He has no memories of his past." When he heard this, the dark skinned man frowned.

He walked towards the young boy. At first the child seemed scared, but then Ren Hong grabbed his shoulder grinning and shook her head "You do not need to fear, he is my eldest brother, Ren Hei! Beside him, I have two more older siblings, Big Sister Bai and Big Brother Long!"

She smiled and looked into the child's confused eyes "He is your big brother as well from now on! His voice is a little weird, but he is a good guy!"

The man seemed shocked by the woman's transformation and difference in treatment. Ren Hei's eyes glinted as he pieced the puzzle together and smiled happily ""We are Ren Hei, just call us big brother Hei!""

When he heard the man's voice that sounded as if a vicious old man with a slimy and high-pitched voice was speaking together with a great warrior of legends, the boy burst out laughing before hurriedly covering his mouth, afraid of having offended him.

The burly man smiled bitterly and then bowed slightly. He finally proceeded to pat the child's head ""Your eyes are really beautiful, little brother! We have never seen such blue eyes, they are even bluer than your new third brother's, Ren Long's! I'll present him and your sister, Ren Bai, to you later!""

The child trembled and then smiled excitedly "Thanks, big brother Hei!"

Ren Hei smiled at the boy and then turned to look at Rei Hong ""Little Sis, how should we call him?"" He looked at the boy ""We do not know what name the human race would go for, Ours were given to us by the Prophet. Before, We had no name, so We are not proficient at this...""

"S-Sis? B-Bro?" The boy interrupted. The dark skinned man and the red skinned woman were startled and then both turned to look at the child. The woman smiled kindly and then asked "What is it, Brother?"

The child's eyes gleamed with excitement "It is about my name! I think I remember a part!" The two people in the room looked at each other and smiled.

The huge man threw his head back and laughed ""Ahaha! Now, that is a good sign""

"Tell us brother" the girl looked at the child lovingly and pinched his cheek "Don't keep it from us! What is it?"

The child pouted as he massaged the now red cheek and smiled mischievously as he tickled the red girl "This is revenge for pinching me!"

"Ahaha! Stop, Bro! I surrender! I surrender!"

The child laughed as he stood on top of a panting Ren Hong "Weren't you supposed to defend me from the bad guys who may come?" He asked laughing cheerfully "They could just tickle you!"

The woman trembled but couldn't resist as she kept laughing "Ahaha! That is my only weakness, I s- Ahaha! I Swear! Ahaha! It was my secret, how did you know? Ahahah" She was now on the verge of tears.

The child stuck out his tongue and then replied "It is... a secret!" He then proceeded to slowly torture the girl "Please, Eldest Bro! Ahahah! Make him stop! Ahaha!"

Ren Hei looked at Ren Hong flabbergasted: that Ren Hong that had been gloomily reminiscing of her mother, the Golden Phoenix, up until a while ago was now on the verge of crying from the laughter.

Sure, it was mainly due to the tickling, but that did not mean Ren Hei was any less shocked. After all, he had not seen the damn girl laugh in countless years.

He bent over as well and started laughing uproariously ""Ahaha! Ren Hong, it looks like by saving that child you may have invited the wolf into the house!""

"Ahaha! Shut up! Ahaha! Help me out here! What would Big Brother and Sister say if they saw me like this Ahaha!" Right now, tears were truly falling down the girl's cheeks and foam was beginning to form by the sides of her mouth.

Ren Hei sighed ""Lil Bro, spare her... this time!"" He winked at the young boy and the child grinned back ""Weren't you going to tell us your name?""

The child lifted his head and stopped tickling the girl below him.

She began panting and gasping for air as she felt alive again "Ahhhh! Never doing it again!" She glared at the boy "Try it or tell anyone and you will receive the same punishment tenfold!"

The boy shivered and immediately nodded his head. Then, his expression turned a bit more serious, although excitement could be seen deep in his eyes "I am not sure... But I remember someone calling me! And when he did, a single word had appeared in my mind!"

Ren Hong tilted her head "What is it?" The boy looked around the hut and found what resembled a brush, black ink and a piece of paper. He then proceeded to make a few strokes with the brush on the piece of paper.

Ren Hei furrowed his brows ""Child. We have noticed that some things, which you seem to have done times and times already in the past...""

The boy stopped his strokes and turned to ask "R-Really?"

The dark skinned man nodded ""Yes. Look at how you hold that brush"" he pointed at the child's hand ""To many it might seem insignificant, but We can recognize a calligrapher's skill at a single glance. After all, We have studied it for many years and have gained quite the proficiency with it... But We recognise that yours is in no way inferior!"

The child looked down at his hand and shivered "Is... This true?"

Ren Hei smiled ""Who knows, maybe your memories haven't disappeared, they have just been buried deep into your mind! You may not remember, but your body will! This will probably help you unlock them! Just keep going, and maybe some time in the future they will come back!""

The child first stared blankly then nodded determined. He then lifted the brush again and finished the strokes: eleven of them in total. The word he had written down was...

虛 (xū)

Weak, False, Humble, Empty, Void... As many other words in the many languages of the humans, it held many meanings. But the strokes that the boy had done seemed to hold no will, no emotions, as if it the word was nothing but an empty shell...

That character's meaning... Was that of emptiness! Empty!

If those strokes were to meet a master's eyes, he would gape until his jaw got dislocated. Afterward, he would praise the boy's skills to no end for how he made those eleven strokes: they seemed ordinary, yet they clearly explained the meaning of emptiness.

Ren Hei was such an expert, now though, the man was more concerned about what had been written down.

""Empty? Your name is... Empty?"" He frowned.

The boy named Xu nodded "This, I remember. I feel like I have been called like this countless times, and it was always referred to me"

Ren Hong pondered "Empty... Xū... The name doesn't ring a bell... Or, more accurately, way too many! Do you remember anything else?"

The boy shook his head, dejectedly. Rei Hei pondered then his expression lit up ""How about we surname you Xū... And name you Lan?"" He asked ""After all, you, have such remarkable blue eyes!""

[Note: Lan - Blue]

Ren Hong's eyes lit up and she shook her head "That is not right! Although this might make him like us four brothers, getting our names from characteristics of our body, his 'Blue' eyes are in no way 'Empty'! They are full of life and warmth!"

Ren Hei frowned ""Isn't this taking it a bit too far? After all, it is just a name..."" Seeing Ren Hong's glare though, the man stopped talking and sighed 'Damn girl, you don't speak for decades and then the first thing you do once you do is argue over such a small thing!'

Ren Hei shook his head ""I'm sorry, I have to leave! I'll be back later, tell me what you have decided then! He walked out and the young boy was greatly shocked when he saw that the man took flight by simply kicking off the ground. He had then sped through the air, towards the horizon, and soon disappeared from view.

He paled and pointed as he trembled "S-Sis... Big brother... Is gone... In the sky!"

The girl turned around and was confused for a bit. Then her expression brightened as she understood what the boy meant "Oh, brother is a cultivator!"

"Cultivator?" The boy asked in wonder "What does that mean?"

The girl smiled "It means a person... Who wishes to reach immortality! And to do that, he cultivates scriptures, deepens his understanding of the world and breaks through various levels!"

"Do you remember that brother just praised himself as being really skilled in calligraphy?" She asked "It is because he was enlightened about a certain aspect of his Qi, his personal 'special power', and needed the knowledge of a calligrapher to deepen his understanding!"

"Im... mortality?" The boy surnamed Xū asked.

The girl nodded "Yes, Immortality!" She drew in the air two characters: the character for person, 人(Rén) and the character for mountain 山(Shān)! The two characters floated in the air as if they had been written in magical ink then began to approach each other... And form the huge green character 仙(Xiān!)! Immortal!

"Those who stand above everything else, celestial beings that are higher than the tallest of mountains! These are immortals! The greatest existence in the world!" She nodded as she explained.

Suddenly, her expression flickered as she saw a strange gleam pass by the child's eyes. The golden mist that had seemed to have dissipated before reappeared and entered he child's body.

"No!"

An ancient voice sounded out from the child's mouth. It radiated an aura of ancientness, of rot, of death. But there was also a powerful will and a determination to do whatever he had decided to.

No matter wether it meant living or dying, he would accomplish his objective!

"Immortal, The Greatest? That Is False! I Must write... The One Truth!" Suddenly, the child swatted the character for immortal aside and divided the character for mountain and person again!

It was as if the child had grown crazy, as if he was not himself anymore! And the golden glow in his eyes confirmed that: this was not the child surnamed Xū anymore!

"Did you think I would allow you to touch my brother?" Ren Hong's attitude made a 360 degrees turn: her body seemed to suddenly burst into flames as the illusion of a gigantic and fiery golden flaming bird appeared behind her "I will give you to the count of three to leave him alone before I vaporize your very existence!"

The boy turned and it could be seen that the golden glow in his eyes was growing weaker, yet the archaic voice was still there "Apologize... I Must Show... The Way... Of The Mountain... Please... True Destiny..."

The child's golden eyes burned with a fiery will, a will that was so powerful that it seemed like it could break space and transcend time itself!

He then turned, almost as if he was seeking Ren Hong's approval...